Imaging tools in discovery and development of phytochemical chemopreventive agents

This is an exciting era in the development and cross-disciplinary use of new imaging technologies, including single-photon and multiphoton laser scanning microscopy; second-and third-harmonic generation imaging; coherent anti-Raman stokes imaging (CARS); and live-cell, whole-mouse, hyperspectral, and super-resolution microscopy. These imaging technologies provide invaluable tools for developing and validating phytochemical-derived drug discovery and parsing out the molecular mechanisms by which these natural compounds can modulate distinct target proteins involved in oncogenic signaling. This chapter provides detailed steps in preparing relatively thick (e.g., up to 200 μm) tissue samples for microscopy using multiple biomarkers providing unprecedented imaging information on pathophysiology, localization, and co-localization of target structures and signaling components. Examples are presented of these new, next-generation imaging modalities used in discovery and development of phytochemical agents.